Sunday, October 23, 2011

Holy Crepe

Tonight I had my first crepe in Europe. This time through Navigli, I am noticing that many of the gelati places I overlooked last time are also creperies. They look to be almost as ubiquitous as our burgers and fries, as if the crepe were European fast food - food you can make to order and turn around quickly, except in this case it is something the diner savors rather than stuffing it in while driving, working, etc. I am once again enjoying the full stop of all other activities while eating over here.

Tonight's crepe was not at all like what I've gotten in the States. It was a thin pancake of something completely unfamiliar, and I wondered if it was spelt, or farro, which seems to be common here. It was also seasoned with herbs and a little salt. Once it was almost done cooking, it was layered with salami sliced so thin it was just slightly opaque, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and arugula, plus something that was drizzled on top just before the crepe was folded up that I thought was olive oil. It turned out to be something spicy almost like Tobasco.

My crepe was simply folded over and cut into bite-sized pieces and delivered on a paper plate with a plastic fork. The meat was warmed, the cheese was melted, the arugula was slightly wilted, and the tomato was uncooked. I sat on a bench inside and enjoyed.